Elsewhere in the news

While we mostly focus on the downside of the economic downturn (e.g., the Miami Art Museum's budget cuts, which, admittedly, seem to have been done extremely well, with no real loss in programming), there are occasionally benefits as well, such as Saatchi Gallery's newly announced "Art for All" campaign. Saatchi Online is selling art without taking the usual 50% dealer's commission, which, as the slogan makes clear, certainly makes art collecting more accessible to everyone. Here's the sale room, if you'd like to browse around.

In other news, the New York Times has a story about Crow House, the former home of the artist Henry Varnum Poor, which the surrounding community bought in order to transform it into a museum (rather than letting the property be developed). This noble aim is, however, being undermined and challenged by the artist's son, Peter Poor, who still owns the contents of the house and has been selling them and donating them to museums. It's an interesting example of the complications that can arise once reality comes into play with the founding of a museum, and, as you would expect, there's also a marvelous slideshow of interior shots of the building.